City Taking Lead In Creating Music

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31238, 9 December 1966, Page 16

City Taking Lead In Creating Music

“Without public realisation, Australia and New Zealand are assuming musical leadership which once belonged to Britain, and Christchurch has recent achievements which I did not see matched in every respect anywhere in Britain,” Emeritus Professor Vernon Griffiths said on his return to Christchurch yesterday.

“I came to New Zealand In 1927 from Britain, 1 have been back several times and still called myself British, but now, for the first time, I am happy and proud to call myself a New Zealander,” said Professor Griffiths. “At my age, with my background, and having been retired for a number of years. I cannot be accused of being parochial and with my experience I hope I may be considered objective,” he said. “I will say categorically that Australasia and Christchurch in particular have taken a musical lead. How much I did not realise until my recent visit overseas.” CHALLENGES

Professor Griffiths listed these questions as evidence and a challenge in musical leadership:— “What university in Britain can match the University of Canterbury School of Music in having had successively on its staff combinations of the eminence of the David Stone Trio, the Allard Quartet, and . the Prague Quartet? “What city or town in ' Britain has a Civic Orchestra, a Civic Orchestra Foundation, and a Civic Music Council bringing together as many musical organisations as Christchurch? “What university in Britain ; offers such a breadth of music . courses as Canterbury? "What British city of com- ' parable size can match; Christchurch in church music? "The Christchurch Cathedral is the only one in Australasia with the old tradition of a choir school, lay clerks, and sung services throughout the week and I found myself (like others who have heard it) longing to hear again the Cathedral choir. “The same applies to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Christchurch. There is none in Britain which has gone so far so fast in introducing services in the vernacular and music more suited to congregational use in the parishes. “Other denominations likewise can be proud of their music.” School music also was streets ahead. There was nothing in Britain comparable to

the school music of, say, the former King Edward Technical College, Dunedin, the Christchurch Boys* High School, Christ’s College, or the Nelson Colleges. Professor Griffiths Mid all this might sound too good to be true but he would stake his reputation on this assessment. In one respect only he envied Britain—the promotion given to young composers. New Zealanders could now get worts published but they could not get them “pushed.” Britain staged festivals to demonstrate the works of new and young composers. Even in this field New Zealanders were among the avant garde. Anna Lockwood recently had work in the ' Cheltenham Festival and, with her husband, was now composing “a work for gUss.” , Professor Griffiths said he could not imagine how this would be performed but all the sounds would be made with glass. David Spence Lyons recently wrote a mass for Westminster Cathedral and was now on the staff of the Cambridge University School of Music. "These and others from Christchurch have done well," he said. “There is a lot of talk,” said Professor Griffiths, “of young nations taking over a world lead from Britain. Here we must sit down quietly, assess our achievements and resources, and realise that Christchurch is now widely recognised as being in the van in music."